Fireworks
by Nine Sixteenths
Summary: Iris has been waiting all her life to see the New Year's fireworks within Stratusine City's Festival. However, when Cilan decides to make this the perfect opportunity for the Village of Dragons native to confess her feelings for Ash, Iris will find it near impossible to enjoy the spectacle...


Red, blue, and yellow. Green, violet, and magenta. And white. Several white. The colors exploded and sprayed across a canvas of tinted black. Some torpedoed into aggressive swirls before fading into nothingness. Others flashed quickly with brilliant lines flowing behind them. And many came in coordinated rows and columns, marching along with an unheard tune to impress those witnessing their movements. Each would end with a magnificent explosion, spreading their colors far into the darkness and lighting up the hidden world below. The powerful and awesome buildings of Stratusine City shined greatly under its New Year's Festival fireworks.

The city of Stratusine was a peculiar and confusing one – it owned no tall skyscrapers or large malls or theaters – it never boasted popularity within its own region of Unova and was practically unheard of to lost visitors and curious tourists alike – and it was rarely recognized as anything more than a large town in the eyes of even its neighbors. It carried old traditions; ones no longer remembered within history books or supposed specialists. And its buildings' designs seemed archaic or alien because of their short and wide statures. Its structures were built low, dug deeper into the earth rather than upwards for more space, and hardly any of its surfaces saw the sun due to the contrasting tall and thin mountains that surrounded them from all sides.

Even now they saw rare light, as they continued with their traditions of burning out every lamp when lighting off fireworks. It was a strange tradition, one only said to be practiced by one other town in a neighboring region, but it was a masterful one. To the few who knew of the peculiar city's existence, the lighting of fireworks was an event that could never be missed. With no lights from surrounding cities or even from its own buildings, the New Year's Festival fireworks of Stratusine City were far brighter and impossibly more colorful than any other fireworks gracing the other lands of the region. And its fabled wonders were one that a young woman named Iris had been hoping to witness for years.

The young woman from the Village of Dragons had been told stories of Stratusine's festivals as a child – and the New Year's Festival's stories were the ones she could never forget. _"A pitch-black void, with buildings and trees springing into reality with each colored light that sprinkled the darkness – the fireworks of the night sky resembled the magics and powers that brought life into a universe of nothingness – and everything the colors would light symbolized the creations of a world that never existed. The New Year's celebration of Stratusine is not the celebration of a new year and a new life, but a celebration of creating life from where nothing else exists. And a bell, a magnificent and large bell, would be rung. Its sound would shatter the silence that filled this darkness. And it would ring in every hour of the day. Each ring would sound the coming of a New Year within another region. It's a celebration of a life being created within another part of the universe, bringing it into a harmony with all of its brothers and sisters. Together, within its powerful toll, all may celebrate the life they had created within the darkness that filled the universe."_ the Village Elder would say, and it would fill Iris' heart and mind with pure excitement.

And now she stood atop one of the many mountains that surrounded the city, witnessing the fireworks bring life into a world of pitch-black… and though she found it far more amazing than the stories that were told to her as a child, she could not feel true satisfaction or joy from being in its presence. The presence of another and the lack of another had made this situation nerve-wracking at best.

"_We'll just… leave you two alone now." _Cilan had said minutes in the past, before disappearing with Pikachu and Axew into an unknown portion of the mountains. Iris was ready to give pursuit and prevent them from escaping, but a panicked yell had stopped her in her tracks. Ash had slipped and slid down the mountainside. The choice of who to chase after was obvious, and she ignored the fleeing Pokémon Connoisseur in order to rescue the young man from Pallet Town.

The rescue was only half-successful. Though she had stopped him from falling off the cliff completely, her attempts at rescue had caused her to slip down with him. The two were now caught on a ledge – a comfortable and safe ledge – but a private ledge that was not easy to remove themselves from. Any desire to leave the predicament was halted immediately when the colored lights of the New Year's Festival lit the sky… By complete accident, Ash and Iris had found the perfect spot to watch Stratusine's unforgettable fireworks show.

It was one Iris dearly wished she could enjoy, but Cilan's intended exit had given the event an entirely different meaning… Only days before, on a quiet night during their travels, Iris had confessed to the Connoisseur that she might have had… _'feelings'_ for the boy from Pallet Town. The confession had roused an excitement in Cilan, who became very keen in bringing the two together as a couple. All attempts had awkwardly failed, as Iris was able to prevent his antics before any of them could be initiated. Her confession was meant to relieve a silent stress she had held, not spark a matchmaking spree. It was her belief that if a relationship were to blossom between her and Ash, it would be on agreed terms – with both of them interested, and not have it as a strange one-way romance.

But now, in an undeniably romantic situation, with the boy she was not fully ready to admit feelings for, she felt like there was no turning back. One way or another, one day or the next, she would eventually have to confess her feelings for him. Otherwise, she was convinced, she would constantly be within a state of stressed denial. And what other time would be best than on New Year's Day, under the light of life-creating fireworks, within an event she had waited all her life for?

Everything had become so perfectly timed that she knew it would be a wasted opportunity if she couldn't confess now. It would be an event she would eternally regret…

She glanced to her right, watching the face of Ash flicker into existence – lit in blues, greens, and violets. His eyes looked up to the fireworks, amazed by their shapes and colors. A smile formed across his lips. And the curious lightning-bolt marks beneath his eyes accented his boyish expression of wonder and joy. Ash wasn't the most handsome man in the world, nor was he the most charming in personality, but there was something undeniably alluring about him. Whenever she was around him, Iris felt… _at home._

The world outside the Village of Dragons was a frightening place, filled with dangers and unknowns around every corner. But it wasn't the monsters or hazards of the terrain that made her nervous of leaving her home… it was the people that populated that world outside of it. The people outside of her hometown had felt untrustworthy, suspicious, cunning, and deceitful. No matter how much strength she had of her own, no matter how prepared she was for any danger, Iris had felt as if the world was out to defeat her, destroy her where she was weakest, and leave her broken in a place that had no way out. The Village of Dragons was filled with strong people, but their strength mattered little outside – and those who had left her home had rarely come back, swallowed up by the ever-dangerous world beyond its borders. She feared she would end up the same…

Until she met the boy named Ash Ketchum. He was… _different._ Though he was from a faraway land and reeked of unfamiliar smells, there was something comforting about his… _smile. And his eyes…_

No matter what new things were revealed to him, whether person or pokémon, Ash Ketchum showed no want to harm or take advantage of them. He only sought friendship, competition, and simple understandings. When he showed distaste to something, it was not out of misunderstanding, but out of instinctual wariness. In a way, Ash seemed like a pokémon. A strange, human-looking pokémon. But it was his eyes and his smile that made him distinctly… _different._

She wanted to get to know his eyes more. To see his smile more often. To know what sparks could be found in his happiest moments, and find the fire that fueled his innocent ambitions. To know what would make his eyes open up completely in wonder, and make his smile different from all the rest. Iris wanted to get to know Ash, in the way no one else had ever cared to know him – because she knew there was something amazing to be found inside…

…but it was all a foolish dream. An embarrassing and pathetic desire.

Iris didn't know anything about relationships, and she didn't even know how to approach one, or even how to discuss one. The only thing she knew was competition, adventure, drive, and pokémon battles. Nothing else. Things such as romance never came up in her raisings within the Village of Dragons. Things such as boyfriends and girlfriends were never concerned over. People in her village married out of necessity, and many even married out of victories earned through competition… Outside of these customs? Within the 'real world'? For Ash? She had no clue where to start.

_Do I just challenge him to a pokémon battle, or…?_ she wondered awkwardly. She fumbled with the remaining poké balls attached to her hip, wondering in dread how such a topic would be approached.

Her thoughts blanked when a new spark of light, brought from the largest firework shot that night, lit Ash Ketchum's features. He was no longer staring at the spectacle in the sky… He was staring into her eyes, smiling oddly.

"Er… Sorry about Cilan." he mumbled as he looked away. The dimming of the sky caused his features to fade into the darkness, covering his expressions. Yet what he intended in emotions was still heard in his continuing voice, "I kind of asked him to leave us alone for a bit."

Iris' heart paused. Her breath stopped short as her mind went into a panic. _Why would he ask him to…? No. No, I'm just overreacting! I'm sure there-_

"Iris… I like you."

Fireworks colored the sky, revealing Ash's vulnerable gaze. His lips remained open, showing disbelief in his own words and hesitation in what he would say next…

"A lot… And… I'm really bad at this. Sorry. I don't know how I'm supposed to do this. I think you're awesome. And funny. And great. And I was wondering if… if… you and I could go out sometime… to do something together… or something. Or something."

…

His words were awkward, far more awkward than what her words would have been if she had decided to talk. They were vague. Laughable. And absolutely pathetic. If she had no interest in him, she would have agreed to his unclear request only out of pity.

But she was interested.

"Y-Yeah… That'd be nice."

Her own words were broken and weak, unlike any words that had left her mouth before. She didn't find time or opportunity to fix them or strengthen them as her mind slowly drowned itself in pink confusions.

"I… I like you too, Ash. I thought Cilan was just…"

"No, I asked him to."

"So you slipping off the…"

"Oh. Uh. No. That was an accident."

"Oh. Well… it found us a good seat."

"Yeah."

…

The two fell silent, facing forward to avoid each other's eyes; their faces lit pink – though the fireworks were blue.

They each smiled weakly at their words, unsure what to think or where to move from there. Just their confession was enough, and nothing else would ever be necessary.

"Psst."

Iris flinched at the sound. She looked around in bewilderment and found a head peeking down from atop a ledge. It was Cilan's. She flinched again at the sight of him.

'Ask him where he wants to take you out for a date.' the Pokémon Connoisseur silently mouthed.

"Oh! Uh! Um…" Iris shook her head and cleared her throat, attempting to regain her composure… a composure she hadn't had all day, and one that never returned to her. Regardless, she spoke with false confidence, "Where do you want to go? For… the… date, that is."

Ash cleared his own throat, pretending to own the same confidence. "I was thinking we could go into Stratusine City. Just climb down there and see if they had any food or game stalls set up… or something. If you want."

"You think they'd have stalls set up down there?"

"Why not? It's New Year's."

"It's pitch-black down there."

"They're setting off fireworks without any lights. They're doing fine without it. Somehow."

Iris shrugged. A curious smile crept across her face, hurting her cheeks. "Okay. It's a date then." She stood and patted dirt off her legs and knees. "I'll race you there!"

With a long leap, Iris hopped off of the low cliff ledge and landed back onto the mountain road. A terrible pain shot up her legs, but she ignored it and stood perfectly straight, attempting to impress her new boyfriend with her cool sturdiness. Pushing the pain away and keeping up her unaffected appearance, Iris sprinted down the mountain road, running as fast as she could… not in an attempt to become a victor, but to release the overwhelming excitement that now filled her heart.

"H-Hey! Wait up!" Ash called from behind. His grunts of injured pain and clumsy footsteps followed after a loud landing, causing her to chuckle in delight.

"Keep up, slowpoke!" she yelled back. An alerted shout soon came after as Iris felt open air underneath one of her steps. The complete darkness of the world between fireworks had made her incorrectly measure the ground in front of her. It was only a single, small step that was lower than predicted, but without light to confirm the existence of a ground beneath her feet, a scream had left her lips anyways.

"IRIS!"

Something wrapped around her hips as she fell forward. She rolled against the cradle, hoping to soften whatever unseen landing would occur against her back. The hold held strong, however, preventing her fall completely.

A firework lit the sky.

And in the void of nothingness, the figure of a young man holding tightly onto a young woman sparked into existence. They stared in amazement into each other's eyes, as if it was the first time they had ever seen one another. And in their intimate embrace, one of them spoke, breaking the silence that was spaced between them…

"…Hi."

"…Hey."

The firework faded, letting the world fade back into darkness.

A loud bell was heard, shattering the void in its powerful tune.

It was the bell of another New Year – One more region within the world had hit midnight. The New Year had finally come to the region of Kanto…


End file.
